FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 1, 2018 SPRING CYCLE OF AMPLIFY ART! DEPENDS ON COMMUNITY SUPPORT FORT WAYNE, IN – Arts United is pleased to present three projects selected for the 2018 Spring Cycle of Amplify Art!, a crowdfunding campaign platform designed to support arts and culture projects in northeast Indiana. Amplify Art! relies on support from the community through social media advocacy and small contributions from a large number of donors. The projects are: • Blocknobben Block Party Blocknobben is Hobnobben Film Festival’s free and family-friendly block party at the Arts United Center Plaza. Cinema Center brings film, food, artists, vendors and music together as a public celebration of film and Fort Wayne. Blocknobben will kick off the 2018 Hobnobben Festival in June. • Theatre Arts Day Fort Wayne Civic Theatre will host a full-day workshop for anyone 14 and older who wants to learn more about theatre. Break-out sessions include auditioning, dance, costuming, scenic building, and backstage work. The day concludes with a panel discussion and Q&A with a NYC-based professional actor. • Fort Wayne Children’s Choir Clinician and Composition Fort Wayne Children’s Choir will commission James Mulholland, composer and Professor of Music at Butler University, to write a new piece of music for five area high school and university choirs to perform at the Three Rivers Choral Festival. He will work with each choir individually before the performance this fall. Amplify Art! is a crowdfunding program that mobilizes community support for and awareness of diverse creative projects. Each Amplify Art! campaign takes place over one month; this month’s campaign will run from May 1-31. Donations can be made at www.artsunited.org/amplify. Each project is seeded with $1,000 from Arts United. Donations from community members to each project are matched dollar for dollar up to a total of $1,500 by 3Rivers Federal Credit Union. “3Rivers is thrilled to partner with Arts United to mobilize community support and visibility for these incredible arts projects. We’re proud to support our thriving and vibrant arts community.” said Melissa Shaw, Marketing Director at 3Rivers Federal Credit Union. Through the Amplify Art! program, Arts United proactively increases the community’s access to diverse, innovative, and compelling creative experiences. Arts United provides the fundraising technology and promotional support to help make these projects a reality. Please contact the respective representatives to learn more about each project: Blocknobben Block Party Margaret Reeder Cinema Center mreeder@cinemacenter.org Theatre Arts Day Elise Ramel Fort Wayne Civic Theatre eramel@fwcivic.org Fort Wayne Children’s Choir Clinician and Composition Jonathan Busarow Fort Wayne Children’s Choir jbusarow@fwcchoir.org Amplify Art! is made possible with support from the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne and 3River Federal...

Press release from Middle Waves Middle Waves Music Festival returns Fri.-Sat., September 14-15, 2018. Presale tickets will be available from February 26-March 2. In its third year, Middle Waves is a two-day destination music festival in downtown Fort Wayne, IN. Held in Headwaters Park, along the St. Marys River, the festival features three stages and an eclectic mix of 25+ performers on three stages. With food trucks, beverages, music, interactive art installations, events, fun and games around every corner—people of all ages, all backgrounds and all music preferences are bound to have the time of their lives. Presale ticket prices, on sale exclusively from February 26 to March 2, will be the lowest of the year, with two-day GA ticket prices at $65 and two-day VVIP tickets at $150. Tickets can be purchased at MiddleWaves.com. More ticket sales will be announced at a later date. Middle Waves, LLC is a volunteer-run, non-profit community event (part of Cultural Advancement Projects, LLC) that operates with Arts United’s 501(c)(3) and relies on the financial support of local businesses. The festival’s steering committee is: • Katy Silliman, GeneAlign, festival chair, sponsorship chair, operations co-chair • Alec Johnson, Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation • Beth McAvoy, One Lucky Guitar, volunteer chair • Brad Hartman, Ash Brokerage, ticketing chair • Corey Rader, The Brass Rail, booking chair • Dan Ross, Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne, Cultural Advancement Projects LLC • Jasmine Bejar, One Lucky Guitar, marketing chair • Nicholas Weaver, Sweetwater Sound, operations co-chair • Melissa Twitchell, hospitality chair • Ryan Holquist, Sweetwater Sound, logistics chair • Sanee Lombardi, finance chair For more information on this year’s festival, contact info@middlewaves.com or visit MiddleWaves.com. Be sure to follow Middle Waves on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram....

When it comes to annual fundraisers, the Fort Wayne Dance Collective is known for creating over-the-top experiences that guests anticipate all year long. In years past, that meant choose-your-own-adventure theatrical performances in various Fort Wayne landmarks. But this year, under the leadership of Creative Director John Byrne, the organization is trying something new. As in years past, tomorrow’s ART MOVES event will raise funds for FWDC’s community outreach programs, high school dance programs and dance scholarships. But this year, FWDC eschewed the theatrical theme to celebrate creative expression in all its forms. At 6 pm tomorrow night, September 8th, Wunderkammer Company will serve as the backdrop for various choreographed pop-up performances, each inspired by a different iconic fine art works. The ART MOVES event will also include a silent auction, heavy appetizers and a cash bar provided by Club Soda. Tickets are $25 in advance, available through the FWDC website, or $30 at the door. With the event approaching, I talked to John Byrne to learn more about his artistic vision and inspiration for ART MOVES. B: What sparked the idea ART MOVES? J: Fort Wayne is a city just exploding with art and dance, and FWDC is proud to be in the forefront of this cultural movement. We serve such a diverse range of communities, ages, abilities and interests through dance education, healing and performances – more than 43,000 people annually to be specific! The idea for ART MOVES was simply inspired by the desire to bring awareness to what we do, in a fun, laid-back, party environment. For the artistic concept, I wanted to show who we are at the core by deconstructing dance down to its most pure form – movement. Dancers from 10 years old to 60 years old will take over the space in elegant and simple costumes, with beautiful lighting and sets by artist Diane Gaby. The dancers will represent recognizable iconic art works by emulating the essence of the art works through dance. The performance will be presented in a simply, allowing the movement and personalities of our diverse performers to shine through. B: What kind of art and artists inspired the choreography? J: There are eight choreographers contributing original dance works to ART MOVES. This includes Vicki Gallagher, Mandie Kolkman, Sydney Pacula, Corinne Hobbs, Liz Monnier, Ashley Benninghoff and Allison Brandgard. Choreographers chose iconic art work that inspired them and designed their dance works based on these pieces. At the event, you’ll see artists such as O’Keeffe, Magritte, Kandinsky, Van Gogh and Koons represented. Dancers from all branches of Fort Wayne Dance Collective’s programs will be performing the new dance works. Singer/songwriter Kelsie Murray will also be making a special appearance. What can guests expect at the event? J: Partygoers can expect...